Restrictions to get into Muir Woods are long overdue

Visitors along Muir Woods Road find parking then walk towards the entrance at Muir Woods National Park, in Mill Valley, Calif., as seen on Thurs. July 9, 2015,

Visitors along Muir Woods Road find parking then walk towards the...

It’s about time.

Muir Woods National Monument is rightly one of the North Bay’s most popular tourist attractions, but the park is heaving under the weight of too much love. It draws nearly 1 million visitors per year, all of whom seem to park along the road shoulder on Muir Woods Road.

It’s a relief that the National Park Service is stepping in to require reservations to enter the park, and to phase out parking. The result should be a lot less congestion on the surrounding roads and a lot more peace for visitors.

If anything, the changes — which are expected to cut the number of daily visitors to the woods from more than 6,000 per day in peak season to a maximum of 4,500 during peak season and 2,800 during nonpeak — are not coming fast enough.

It’s going to take two years for the reservation system to get up and running, and a total of seven years for the parking restrictions. The Mount Tam Task Force, an environmentally minded group, is planning to sue Marin County on account of the slow timetable. They believe that the crowds, and all of their cars, are damaging the endangered fish in Redwood Creek.

We urge the Park Service to make these changes as quickly as possible. Apart from the environmental arguments (which are serious), the Bay Area’s population continues to climb and the chances for residents to get out in peaceful “nature” are eroding by the day.

Preserving those opportunities is one of the reasons why we have national parks. It’s time to bring peace back to Muir Woods.